1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to quick latch systems for toolboxes, and more specifically to quick latch systems for securing a toolbox to the side panels of a pickup truck.
2. Description of the Related Art
Cargo beds of pickup trucks are convenient for transporting a variety of articles. However, due to the forces exerted on those articles during driving, they are subject to shifting within the cargo bed. Those articles may become damaged by striking the side panels of the pickup truck, and can possibly be thrown from the cargo bed. The danger of damage to or loss of articles stored in cargo beds during driving is especially high for smaller articles, such as toolboxes, which cannot easily be secured.
The necessity for securing toolboxes within the cargo bed of pickup trucks has led to the invention of toolboxes specifically designed for attachment to the side panels of a pickup truck. U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,944 discloses a truck toolbox that fits across the bed of a pickup truck. The patent discloses the use of suitable means such as screws to anchor the toolbox to the upper surface of the side panels of the pickup truck. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,169,200 discloses a storage box that lies across the bed of a pickup truck and is secured to the side panels of the pickup truck by driving fasteners such as screws into the truck walls. Both the toolbox disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,944 and the storage box disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,169,200 have the disadvantage of requiring holes to be drilled in the body of the pickup truck.
To circumvent the necessity of drilling holes through the body of the pickup truck, several attachment structures for securing a toolbox to the side panels have been invented. U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,737 discloses an attachment structure that secures the toolbox to the inside vertical wall portion of the side panels. U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,845 discloses a locking device that utilizes a handle that can be raised and lowered to position a locking bar underneath the top surface of the side panels, securing the toolbox in place. Although these devices do not require drilling new holes in the body of the truck, they do not take advantage of the post holes already existing in the side panels. Furthermore, since these devices rely on friction between the locking device and the side panels to secure the toolbox, they will not keep the toolbox as securely positioned as will a locking device engaging permanently located holes.
Clamping mechanisms provide a useful method for securing a device at a specific location. Clamping mechanisms for use on automobiles have been disclosed in prior patents. U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,348 discloses an adjustable cross rail for a luggage carrier mounted on the roof of an automobile. A lever is pivoted to a vertical position and rotated, loosening the grip between the cross rail and the horizontal tracks and allowing the cross rail to slide along the tracks. The lever is then clamped into a horizontal position to lock the cross rail in place. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,500,020 and 3,554,416 similarly disclose article carriers that are mounted on the roof of an automobile and use clamping members to secure cross rails along a longitudinal track. U.S. Pat. No. 3,920,167 discloses an automobile roof rack using a clamping mechanism to secure the rack to the rain gutter. While these patents disclose clamping mechanisms for use on automobiles, none of these patents disclose the use of such clamping mechanisms for securing a toolbox to the side panels of a pickup truck.
Therefore, there exists a need for a device for securely attaching a toolbox to the side panels of a pickup truck that utilizes a clamping mechanism and does not require the drilling of permanent holes in the body of the truck.
None of the aforementioned patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the present invention as claimed. Thus, a quick latch system for securing a toolbox to the sidewalls of a pickup truck utilizing the already existing post holes in the flat horizontal upper portion of the side panels is desired.